Remember thatĀ gorgeous, addictive Pasta Pomodoro recipe I shared a few weeks ago? Yeah, we can’t stop eating it either. And that got me thinking: what if we put that sauce in lasagna? That’s right. Lasagna Pomodoro is about to be your delicious new obsession.
Most of my life, there was only one way to make or consume lasagna: bathed in a thick coatĀ of my Grandma’s rich, delicious spaghetti sauce. Like all Italian-American sauces (also known as sugo or Sunday gravy), it’s super rich and flavorful, full of Italian spices and laden with beef and Italian sausage and meatballs. This sauce, and the lasagna we make with it, is absolutely synonymous with special occasions and Sunday dinners in our family. These are meals so rich and heavy that you need wear stretchy pants and to take a nap afterward. ThisĀ is tradition and a damn delicious one at that.
But sometimes, especially as the weather turns warmer, that rich, heavy dish feels just a little too rich and heavy. Sometimes, I crave something just the slightest bit fresher and brighter. That’s where this Lasagna Pomodoro comes in. Ā I mean, its still rich and heavy (we’re talking lasagna here), butĀ because this sauce is meatless and features a ton of fresh basil, it has a much brighter note to it.
In order to let the flavor of the pomodoro sauce shine, I kept the other ingredients fairly minimal and fresh: ricotta cheese, chopped baby spinach, parmesan and mozzarella, all tucked between sheets of pasta. Thats it. The result is simultaneously rich and creamy while also being bright and springy. And totally addictive. We made this last night and Jon and I had the pan completely polished off by today.
While this certainly won’t replace my Grandma’s famousĀ recipe, it sure does make a for a delicious change of pace.
Lasagna Pomodoro
Makes 1 8×8″ pan
Ingredients
2 batches Pomodoro sauce
8 ounces no bake lasagna noodle sheets
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
8 ounces fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 bunch fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine ricotta cheese and an egg in a small bowl and stir until combined. Fold in chopped baby spinach and about 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Spray an 8X8″ baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Spread about 1/4 cup of pomodoro sauce on the bottom of the pan. Arrange 1 layer of lasagna noodle sheets on top of the sauce. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with a 1/2 cup of mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan.
- Repeat layers until all of the noodles have been used. End with a layer of sauce followed by mozzarella and parmesan. Reserve remaining sauce to use as a garnish.
- Cover cop of baking dish with foil and place in the oven. Bake lasagna covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil from pan. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F and return pan to oven. Continue to cook until lasagna is bubbling at the edges and the cheese on the top is golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven and allow lasagna to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle top of the lasagna with fresh basil, salt and pepper. Serve with extra sauce and parmesan cheese on the side.
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